Firebomb at Luthuli House

A BOTTLE containing an unknown chemical exploded at about 6 pm last night in the reception of Luthuli House, the ANC’s head office in the Johannesburg city centre.

The explosion caused a small fire that damaged a couch, the floor and ceiling. Security guards quickly doused the flames with fire extinguishers after hearing the loud explosion.

Several top ANC members had been in a meeting on the 11th floor of the building when they smelled that something was burning, ANC spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said last night.

They included Minister of Public Service and Administration Lindiwe Sisulu and several ANC MPs. Justice Minister Jeff Radebe was also at the meeting, but had left early.

Mthembu said earlier yesterday, ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa and the party’s secretary general Gwede Mantashe had met with a Chinese delegation.

Security officers and the police will check security camera recordings from the reception area in an effort to find who had planted the mysterious Molotov cocktail.

The Gauteng police spokesperson Brigadier Neville Malila said officers had last night checked the building for other suspect devices that could cause a fire. He said the police are investigating the matter.

Mthembu said he suspects the attack was political.

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